Office of Labor Standards Launches Directed Investigation Program

Program will focus on protecting vulnerable and low-income workers

Seattle (November 2, 2017) – The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) has launched its directed investigation program to increase compliance with Seattle’s minimum wage and other City labor standards. Directed investigations are investigations whereby the agency may launch an investigation without receiving a formal complaint. The investigations will focus on employers in industries that traditionally employ large numbers of vulnerable and low-income workers, including people of color, women, immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities and other groups, as well as large employers operating throughout the United States that have violated labor standards in other parts of the country.

Directed investigations are a long-standing practice of the U.S. Department of Labor as a strategic approach to wage and hour enforcement. Local labor standards enforcement agencies also use them, including New York City’s Office of Labor Policy and Standards. OLS has conducted a form of directed investigations in the past, particularly for violations of the Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, but is now expanding the effort. The Directed Investigation program will complement OLS’s ongoing complaint-based investigations.

“Our goal is to bridge the gap in industries and workplaces where there is a disproportionate number of vulnerable low-wage workers, where workers are least likely to complain, and where we are most likely to have a systemic impact,” said Dylan Orr, Director of the Seattle Office of Labor Standards. “We will look at workplaces in those industries where we have an indication that a violation is occurring or is likely to occur. We also believe these investigations will deter potential violators and encourage voluntary compliance.”

OLS is gathering and analyzing information from a variety of sources as it develops its new directed investigation program, including its own case data, information and data from other agencies and jurisdictions, information from the public and community organizations, and information from public websites that highlight workplace conditions.

“Seattle has adopted several local labor laws to improve workers’ lives; we must be strategic about enforcing these laws,” said Councilmember Lisa Herbold (District 1, West Seattle) and Chair of the Council’s Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and Arts committee. “There are workers who may be afraid, unable, or unlikely to report potential violations. Directed investigations create a pathway to change these specific work environments while maximizing resources, all the while leveling the playing field so high road employers who abide by city laws are not disadvantaged in the marketplace by the actions of employers who do not.”

OLS has been meeting with business organizations, community organizations, trade unions and members of the City of Seattle’s Labor Standards Advisory Commission to formulate the program, and will continue to elicit feedback from these groups as the program moves forward.

Along with the launch of directed investigations, OLS has also streamlined the process it uses to formerly initiate investigations to make it more accessible and less burdensome for employers. To date, OLS has closed over 200 investigations and assessed over $1 million in remedies to over 2000 workers.

To contact the Seattle Office of Labor Standards:

For more information about directed investigations, including a Fact Sheet and Q&A Document, visit https://www.seattle.gov/laborstandards/enforcement or call 206-256-5297.
Help for employers: For free individual assistance with any City of Seattle labor standards laws, visit https://www.seattle.gov/laborstandards, call 206-256-5297 or email business.laborstandards@seattle.gov.
Help for workers and the public: To ask a question, file a complaint, or provide information, call 206-256-5297, email workers.laborstandards@seattle.gov, visit the Office of Labor Standards in downtown Seattle at 810 Third Ave. Suite 375, or click here to fill out a web form.
To schedule workplace training, contact the OLS business liaisons, at 206-256-5297 or email business.laborstandards@seattle.gov.

Source: Labor Standards